This invention relates to installation of water spouts or faucets, and, more particularly, to a system for connecting a spout such as a tub spout to a water supply pipe or stub-out protruding from a wall such that the spout is concurrently drawn against the wall and sealed against the stub-out by the user tightening a screw.
Water spouts are installed in many household, office and industrial environments. Often they are installed to protrude upward from a countertop or sink surface such as is common with kitchen and bathroom sinks. They may also protrude from a vertical wall surface in proximity to the sink or may be used in association with a bath tub in which case the spout typically protrudes from a wall surface above the tub or from the tub wall itself. The primary embodiment used herein to describe the invention is a tub spout. It should be readily apparent, however, that the disclosed structures could be used as described, or with modifications, in association with sinks or wash basins, or in any other situation where it is desired to deliver water from a supply pipe protruding from a wall surface.
Tub spout installations are typically accomplished using one of two standard methods. In the first, a vertical water supply pipe or line is extended downward from a valve assembly. The supply line is connected to a 90 degree elbow fitting that is securely fastened behind the finished wall and/or tub wall at the precise elevation for the tub spout connection. Typically, a hole in the finished wall and/or tub wall has been previously created at this elevation. A length of threaded test pipe with male threaded nipples on each end is then threaded through the hole and then into the elbow. The material used for the test pipe is often the most inexpensive, such as uncoated, black steel pipe. (Test pipes made of such material are commonly discarded after one use.)
After connection to the elbow, the test pipe is then capped so that the water supply side of the plumbing system can be subjected to pressurized water during the plumbing inspection to ascertain whether or not the system has any leaks. After the pressure test, the test pipe is extracted and a precise length of supply line, also with male threaded nipples on each end, is installed blindly into the elbow fitting enclosed in the finished wall. The tub spout is then typically threaded directly onto the open end of the supply line. It is critical that the end of the threaded nipple is located at the appropriate distance from the surface of the wall, such distance being determined by the distance between the back or bell end of the spout and the internal threading within the spout housing.
In another, more recently developed tub spout installation method, copper or other rigid tubing is stubbed out of the wall. The stub-out may simply consist of a length of copper pipe or may terminate in a sealed, spun closed “bullet” end. In the case of a sealed stub-out, the end may be cut off with a pipe cutter after the pressure test has been completed. Since there are no threads on the end of the stub-out, a slip fit spout must be used that provides a way for sealing the connection between the spout and the stub-out as well as securely affixing the spout to the stub-out. A stub-out of this type affords the advantage that the required distance may be determined just prior to installing the spout. Typically, such spouts are constructed such that length of the stub-out need not be exact.
Although there are various slip fit tub spout designs in the prior art, most utilize an O-ring to form a seal between the exterior of the stub-out and the interior of a collar or tube held within the spout housing. During installation of the tub spout over the stub-out, the O-ring may become abraded or otherwise damaged by a sharp edge or burs on the end of the stub-out. This damage may compromise the ability of the O-ring to seal against the adjoining surfaces. Sealing problems are further exacerbated with diverter spouts because as pressure builds when water is diverted to a shower head, compromised O-ring seals can leak profusely sending a spray or stream of water back towards the wall and into the wall cavity. If the wall cavity becomes moist, particularly if it is wetted repeatedly due to leakage with each use of the tub spout, damage to the wall can occur including mold and mildew.
Most prior art designs also use a set screw that is driven onto (and in some cases mistakenly into) the surface of the stub-out to keep the spout from sliding off. While a set screw may provide a typical means of attachment, it does present problems. If over-tightened, the set screw may be driven too far into the stub-out causing the stub-out to deform or rupture. The surface area between the screw and the stub-out may be quite small (perhaps merely the diameter of the screw), therefore the screw must be held tightly against the stub-out to afford sufficient friction to hold the spout in place. If the screw loosens even slightly, the decrease in holding power may be severely compromised.
Prior art designs place the set screw under and to the rear of the tub spout housing which may make access with a wrench difficult since the access cavity for the set screw typically faces downward and may be in close proximity to the lip of the tub. Therefore, to tighten the set screw the user must thread the associated tool, typically an Allen wrench, between the lip of the tub and the tub spout housing and then position the wrench upward into the set screw cavity to engage the set screw. Within this tight working space, the user must also hold the spout against the wall while tightening the set screw, and, to further complicate matters, rotation of the screw against the stub out often causes the tub spout to “walk away” from the wall.
In the case of spouts having threaded attachment to the stub out, the downward orientation of the discharge outlet is critical and so it is not uncommon for a plumber to rotate the spout away from the wall slightly so that the outlet points in the appropriate direction. Though perhaps slight, the gap formed between the spout housing and the wall can allow substantial infiltration of water behind the spout, through the aperture in the wall formed for passage of the stub-out, and into any space behind the wall or into the wall material itself.
There is an existing need for a system for installing water spouts that provides for ready installation over a stub-out regardless of type of stub-out or of end surface preparation, and in particular there exists a need for a system providing an installation method that allows the spout to be easily and tightly drawn against an associated wall surface to reduce water infiltration due to gaps.